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Berlin Council Gives Green Light To Video Project

BERLIN — In an effort to showcase the town’s highlights and to attract tourists, a brief movie of Berlin will be filmed by CGI Communications and then given back to the town for distribution.

Town officials say the best part about the situation, however, is the fact that CGI will film and produce the movie for free.

According to Economic and Community Development Director Michael Day, CGI has offered to create a short, 60-90-second video for the town at no cost.

In response, the firm asked that Mayor Gee Williams sign a letter of endorsement for the company and that CGI also be allowed to utilize the video it makes for Berlin as a display model when potential customers are considering using the organization.

“It’s an opportunity to have a professional video produced of the town,” Day told the council.

Day also pointed out that the Maryland Municipal League (MML) had recommended Berlin to CGI as a possible candidate for the free video program.

“It’s a great organization,” Day said of the MML, which he said is comprised of 153 towns and communities across Maryland.

MML members are able to take advantage of things like group insurance rates and can be lobbied for collectively. Day also informed the council that many other Maryland communities have already worked with CGI, including Salisbury.

When asked about the actual content of the video, Day said that nothing had been decided yet, but that the movie would most likely illustrate key town points and tourist attractions, such as the Historic District and the overall proximity to the ocean.

“They would love for us to write the thing,” said Day.

Day explained that representatives of Berlin would meet with CGI in the near future to discuss exactly how the video should turn out, with anyone able to contribute to the script until a final draft is hammered out.

While Day stressed how great an opportunity the video was, he added that it would do more than showcase Berlin to potential visitors. Day explained that the town could learn a lot just being involved with the movie, and that the project “pushes us [Berlin] over the edge” toward making similar videos using just town employees. Day likened this project to “getting our feet wet.”

Williams and the council agreed that the benefits of using CGI seemed high while there appeared to be little to no downside. They decided unanimously to offer a letter of endorsement and to move ahead on a script for the film.